Walker's little scheme.

About half an hour after Alice left, a simply dressed young man entered the store.

"Excuse me, is Alice here?" he asked.

William glanced at him and asked coolly, "You're Walker, right?"

William guessed that this was probably the young man Alice had mentioned who was coming to mind the store, especially since he was looking for Alice and was a Soulmancer.

Walker nodded. As a child, he had been discovered for his exceptional talent by a skilled Soulmancer and had been secretly trained. He had recently emerged from his secluded training and was traveling the world to gain experience. Following his master's instructions, he had come to New York to find Charles Turner.

Charles had assigned Walker to be Alice's bodyguard, but Alice had immediately put him to work in the bookstore, showing no intention of needing a bodyguard.